ZAGREB: Croatia becomes the 28th member of the European Union at midnight yesterday, passing a milestone in its recovery from war but anxious over the troubled state of its economy and the bloc it is joining.
Croatia joins the bloc just over two decades after declaring independence from federal Yugoslavia, a step that triggered four years of war in which thousands died. Facing a fifth year of recession and record unemployment of 21 percent, few Croatians are in the mood to party.
The EU is mired in its own economic woes, which have created internal divisions and undermined popular support for the union.
EU flags fluttered from a stage in Zagreb’s central square ahead of the evening festivities, but there was little mood of celebration on the streets. “Just look what’s happening in Greece and Spain! Is this where we’re headed?” said pensioner Pavao Brkanovic in a marketplace. “You need illusions to be joyful, but the illusions have long gone.”
Some 170 foreign officials, including 15 heads of state and 13 prime ministers, are expected to attend the main ceremony, which starts at 2300 local time (2100 GMT).
Among the speakers at the gathering will be the European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy.
President Ivo Josipovic told Croatia’s Nova TV on Saturday journalists from EU countries had repeatedly asked him why Zagreb wanted to join the bloc.
“My counter question was: ‘You come from the EU. Is your country preparing to leave the bloc?’ They would invariably reply: ‘Of course not.’ Well, there you go, that’s why we are joining, because we also believe the EU has a future,” he said. REUTERS
